Post-Service Post

Throughout the weeks of doing service with World Relief, I have learned that some cultures are really different.  Not just from the United States, but from other refugee countries.  I worked with two different groups throughout these weeks, and noticed many differences between the two.  This is not to be generalized, but to compare the two groups I worked with based on how they acted.  Burmese people are not very timely, and Nepalese people are right on time.  Nepalese people had the intention of bettering themselves and learning more about American culture, while the Burmese group was more laid back and less willing to learn.  The one time I was with the Burmese group, I asked the man to try and read the book with me, and his answer was a simple no.  While the Nepalese family was always ready to read or try anything we asked.  Another difference was the strengths they possessed, The Burmese were really good with math, while the Nepalese were more so equal across the board.  This included speaking, writing, reading, math, and pronunciation.   After learning what I learned, it would be safe to say that I would do a little more research on the culture that I will be working with, so I know how to go into the situation.  This would make the initial confrontation much smoother and create a better working environment.  This would make communication easier, and even a more comfortable environment for me, and the group I am with.  This does not only apply to service learning, but also in the work place.  I could have a new client or patient and need to know how to make them feel comfortable.  This background knowledge could help give me the upper hand on the situation and make the process much smoother for both parties.  Going into this project I was really opinionated and not really open to any of this, however after the first visit, I opened up more and experienced a whole other side.  The side that most people do not see about foreigners in America.  Most people judge them for being different, not speaking English, and bad driving.  After visiting with them for the hours I have, I have seen a family actually trying to adapt and fit in.  Maybe not all families are this way, but seeing this made me more open minded and acceptable of change.  As long as I see people trying to better their life, I cannot complain.  This project has opened my eyes, and will help me with interpersonal interactions for the rest of my life.

Service Learning #3

After visiting all the times I have, I have noticed a pattern and may be a cultural belief.  Every time I have visited the family from Nepal, they have not been ready before the time we are supposed to start.  They are never early, just right on time.  Unlike most Americans which like to be a few minutes early,  I think the Nepalese value being right on time.  This may or may not be true, but it was just something I noticed.  We are still going through and practicing reading, if they want, we have them write some words too.  I noticed that when they learn a new word, they tend to think of the word in their native language first and then associate the two together.  This may help them learn, by applying it to something they would know, sort of like pneumonic devices.  Since the family has been becoming more and more familiar with us, they are more open to having conversations and showing us what their life was like before coming to America.  Some of the pictures are pretty cool, and it is a very different life back in Nepal than it is here in America, based on what I have seen.  I learned that most of there extended family is already in America, and the rest are currently going through the process of coming here.  This is exciting for them, because they have not seen their family in months.  If I had to go back, I would maybe bring some pictures from my life and maybe go through my life with them so they can see what it was like for me.  We would also work more on person-to-person contact and conversation, this way they can understand how to interact effectively in America.  This would help them professionally and socially.  Being in a new home far, far away from your last one, being social is always rough, but having good social skills could help break that barrier and make the moving process much smoother.  These were just a few things, which we haven’t thought of but could have implemented.  After this experience, I would have learned to show up exactly at five rather than four fifty, because they were never ready for another ten minutes or so.

Service Learning # 2

            After A second and third meeting with the family from Nepal, I feel much more comfortable with this process.  However, the family is starting to not always be there right away, the one time only half of them were there right away, but then the rest of them came within twenty to thirty minutes.  This makes it harder on the big group because we do not get the one on one experience, but we still get the overall interactive experience.  The first time we went, Kelly was there and kind of got everything moving, this time it was all on our group.  It went very well, the family remembered us, they were excited to learn, and they were proud to tell us that the Father, Gore, got his first job here.  This was a cool thing to witness, between that and them showing us that they’ve been studying and showing us everything they know.  This is cool to see, because you can tell that they are becoming more and more comfortable with the new culture, and they seem to be adapting very well.  For being here only two months, maybe they are still in the honeymoon phase, or they are past culture shock.  However they seem more and more comfortable each week.  We have been taking them outside to show and tell them what certain objects are and this way they can see and say them which helps with the learning process.  After that, we work on reading and see how much they retained from the last session.  The first time I was with the mother and had her read Cat in the hat.  With the two hours I was there she was about three fourths of the way through.  I brought it back the following week, and she got all the way through it.  They keep showing improvement and that makes them very happy.  They still continue to be eager to learn and they look forward to our visits.  For future visits, maybe challenging them more could help increase their learning.  On the contrary, if we challenge them too much they may not learn anything and they may give up on trying during that session.  So for now, I think it is best to keep doing what we have been doing until it becomes too easy for them, at that point we can then increase the difficulty.